System for detecting and alerting drill depth based on designated elevation, strata and other parameters

ABSTRACT

A system for detecting and alerting drill depth based on designated elevation, strata, and other parameters includes an apparatus to observe one or more drill depths using an elevation and strata network, a processor to capture strata and other parameter information to calculate a drill depth based on data observations, and a communication device to communicate alerts based on desired drill depth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The intricate features of this invention, along with the invention itself, can be fully understood from the below descriptions of the drawings which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for detecting and alerting drill depth according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram including a sensor node according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a processor node according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

We have invented a method for detecting drill depth and alerting human owners, and/or operators based on designated elevation, strata, and other parameters and providing automated actions for stopping drill depth and maintaining a desired drill depth. The system monitors a given drill or set of drill(s) in real time and interprets the flow and pressure input data such that upon a desired occurrence, such as a desired strata or drill depth has been reached, the system sends an alert to the owner and/or operators. The owner and/or operator may then acknowledge the receipt of an alert, review real-time observations of the drill depth data, analyze the details of each detected action, and can determine the required action to stop drilling or continue to another desired drill depth.

Our system addresses the important need of finding desired drill depths based on real-time information. Many drillers and/or drilling companies lack quick response time that an owner or operator can respond to a desired drill depth. Since these drill depths often represent high rates of precision, having an automatic method for monitoring and alerting will allow owners, and operators to respond quickly to desired depths. Other useful instances include allowing the owner, and/or operators to more accurately monitor in real time a specific drill depth behavior, such as if a certain strata requires a different drill type. These types of circumstances currently require constant back and forth of data collection in order to allow the owner and/or operator to fully understand the specific strata behavior or the cause of a problem they may be experiencing with the drill. It would be desirable for owners and/or operators to be able to obtain this information without having to constantly be watching drill activities. Having automated monitoring, alerts, and actions based on drill depth would be very valuable, as current real-time monitoring with human surveillance and data analysis is too time-consuming and expensive.

The system that has been invented uses flow and pressure sensors and real time data feeds to satisfy the needs of containing any drill event that may arise. It allows for real time robotic and human intervention in emergency situations along with ongoing monitoring for future drill depth and behavior for maintaining desired drill depths. The system can send a notification immediately to the owner and/or operator when a sensor network detects unusual drill behavior in a specific strata or elevation. The system is aggressive and can require physical intervention in order to stop a drill. GPS locations are also sent as notifications to the owner and/or operator to track drill movement. The system provides automated interpretation of all sensor data in order to provide the owner and/or operator with specific actions of the drill.

The increase in Internet technology and sensor technology has allowed the live streaming and recording of sensor data that is instantly accessible to the owner and/or operator from any device. Multiple users can access the live data stream at anytime.

Current commercial products for drill monitoring transmit information from one location to another and require human intervention for fully detecting drill depth. However, since new drilling techniques utilize new technology on a daily basis current commercial products won't detect the types of elevation and strata described above. In order to monitor drilling activity using current monitoring systems, a human must constantly watch the data screen or sensor feeds.

We've developed data analysis methods to perform automatic tracking of drill depth. Our drill depth analysis algorithms provide real time identification of drill state for analysis of different types of elevation and strata. Using these algorithms, drill depths can be tracked and monitored in real time and used for intervention by an owner and/or operator.

Our invention has all of the desired attributes for a real time detection and monitoring system of drill depths and can be implemented using our key component elements; (i) a network of flow, pressure, and other sensors; (ii) methods for compression to combine all sensor nodes into an integrated environment; (iii) modules for tracking location, and data from drilling activities; (iv) a database to store flow, pressure, depth, location, and action information that is captured from each drilling activity; (v) an activity interface to view data of drilling actions, change alert settings, and change different parameters of the system; (vi) an alert system that notifies a human owner, and/or operator via e-mail, text, phone call, or electronic data transmission based on drilling actions from pre-defined drill depth algorithms; (vii) a web interface that allows access via a computer or mobile device for viewing drilling actions in real time, viewing past drilling actions, and changing any settings or parameters of the integrated system.

These components are described in turn.

A Network of Flow, Pressure, and Other Sensors.

Our invention utilizes a network of flow, pressure, and other sensor types for detecting drill depth. Each sensor can be individually grouped with other sensors to form networks or sub-networks of drill depths. Each sensor comprises a processing unit and communications unit where raw information is processed into digital bits of data to be sent over a wired or wireless network.

Methods for Compression to Combine all Sensor Nodes into an Integrated Environment

Continuous information from sensor nodes is combined into an integrated environment by utilizing a compression module based on parameters of node names and exact gps coordinates of each sensor node. The integrated environment is setup to connect one or more sensor nodes by storing node information in a database and automatically creating visual drill depths based on the location of each sensor node.

Modules for Capturing Flow, Pressure, Tracking Location, and Depth from Drilling Activities

Data analysis methods are used to detect drill depth of each detected drilling action is stored in a database with a gps location, timestamp, and type of drilling activity detected. Each detected drilling action stored in the database is compared over time to create additional potential drilling activities that might trigger a desired strata. All drilling behaviors are known and fully integrated into the drill depth algorithm for classifying drill depth activity.

A Database to Store Flow, Pressure, Location, and Action Information that is Captured from each Drilling Activity

Digital storage devices are used in order to store observations from sensors from drilling activities that are detected. Each drilling activity that generated an alert will be maintained for a period of time along with a summary of each drilling observation to pull into reports. Using the Activity Interface, an operator can view the different types of drilling observations being detected, live drilling observations, inferred drilling actions, summaries of recent drilling observations, drilling observations that have generated alerts, and sortable statistics of drilling events and related information over specified timeframes.

An Activity Interface to View Data of Drilling Actions, Change Alert Settings, and Change Different Parameters of the System

An activity interface is provided to each owner and/or operator in which settings and filtering properties can be changed for each alert and action required based on detected drilling actions. The activity interface can provide users with the ability to view drill data and view location information related to each drilling action in order to increase or decrease sensitivity settings for future alerts and actions being assigned.

An Alert System that Notifies a Human Owner, and/or Operator via E-mail, Text, Phone call, or Electronic Data Transmission based on Drilling Actions from pre-defined Drill Depth Algorithms

When a drilling action has been detected through the drill depth algorithm, an alert will be transmitted through several different digital communication pathways dependent on the owner's settings and parameters. A few examples of these digital communication pathways include: E-mail, SMS messages, voicemails, automated phone calls, and data through an application programmable interface etc. Each alert is tied to an open, pending, and closed state in which each drilling action detected requires the owner and/or operator to change the state based on analysis or actions taken.

A Web Interface that allows Access via a Computer or Mobile Device for viewing Drilling Actions in Real Time, viewing past Drilling Actions, and changing any Settings or Parameters of the Integrated System

A web interface is used to allow owners and/or operator the ability to utilize real time information from the system. The web interface is designed responsively to provide access from any computer or mobile device that has access to the internet or internal network in which the monitoring system resides. Drilling actions can be viewed in real time along with viewing live data feeds and location information from each sensor node. The web interface also relies on a remote storage database of all drilling actions in order to view drilling actions over time. The web interface also provides users with the ability of changing any settings or sensitivity parameters of multiple integrated systems within specified drill depths.

Having described the invention, refer now to FIGS. 1 through 3 which outlay the different aspects of our invention. FIG. 1 depicts the overall architecture of our system. A processor node 1 is connected via a wired or wireless internal or external network 4 a, 4 b, to sensor nodes 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, 3 e, 3 f, 3 g, 3 h which monitor drill environments 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, 2 d. The processor 1 is connected as well via a local network, external network, or digital channel to the Internet 5, which is used to provide real time access to Communication Devices 6, Activity Interfaces 7, and Web Interfaces 8. The processor node 1 is also remotely controlled or accessed via the Web Interfaces 8. The Activity Interfaces 7 optionally can be connected through digital or analog channels to provide real time alerts and actions within the drill environment. The processor node 1 is optionally connected to communication devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers, or other mobile devices which send/receive text messages, emails, voicemails, or other means of alert and action communications. Activity Interfaces 7 and Web Interfaces 8 are used to send alert notifications to an operator; using Internet protocols, different kinds of alert notifications can be sent via the Internet 5.

FIG. 2 shows high level details of a sensor node 3 a along with a second sensor node 3 b. The sensor nodes 3 a and 3 b include a Flow sensor 13 a (and 13 b on the second sensor node) and Pressure sensor 14 a (and 14 b on the second sensor node). The sensor nodes 3 a and 3 b also include Processing Units 12 aa and 12 ab (and 12 ba, 12 bb on the second sensor node) for dual processing of drill data to analog and digital signals for communication of raw data. The sensor nodes 3 a and 3 b also include Communications Units 11 aa and 11 ab (and 11 ba, 11 bb on the second sensor node) for dual communication between each sensor node 3 a, 3 b, and the main processing node 1.

FIG. 3 shows the high level architecture of the processing node 1 with a lot more detail. Each observation from a sensor is communicated through sensor nodes 3 a, 3 b to compression module 15, which performs needed compression of every type of observation to be sent over a wired or wireless network. The Data Analysis Module 16 performs drill depth analysis and strata characterization based on customized drill depth algorithms. The Location Module 18 provides GPS location information of each sensor node and drilling observation. Each registered drilling observation, flow information, pressure information, tracking information are recorded in a Database Module 19 that houses a multitude of databases. The Action Detection Module 20 performs real time observations of drilling actions utilizing the drill depth algorithm and also compares each observation to previous observations in the Database Module 19 and detect drilling actions of defined interest or detecting events that appear to be out of the ordinary within a drill environment. A filter module 21 utilizes drilling actions based on system settings which generate alert notifications by sending them to the Alert Module 22. The Alert Module 22 provides custom alerts with specified formats through the Communication Module 23. Each alert and action of interest can be specified and viewed by an operator through the Web interface 8 (utilizing Internet 5) and activity Interface 7, and Communications Devices 6. Upon receiving an alert or action notification, each operator can review details of each drill event along with its observations that caused the alert through a Wired or Wireless Network 4 a.

While portions of the above description have focused on examples where alerts are sent to a single human owner or operator, our system is not limited in this regard and alerts or notifications may be sent to many owners or operators, or pre-defined groups, and/or may be used to signal further automated processing to inspect and control the particular drilling situation.

It should now be appreciated that a system for detecting and alerting based on drill depth includes a sensor to observe one or more drill depths using a sensor network, a processor to capture drilling information and to interpret drilling activity based on sensor observations, and a communication device to communicate alerts based on drilling activity.

Having described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will now become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating their concepts may be used. It is felt therefore that these embodiments should not be limited to disclosed embodiments but rather should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

1. A system for detecting and alerting drill depth based on designated elevation, strata, and other parameters comprising: one or more sensor nodes, each sensor node comprising either a flow sensor and/or pressure sensor within a drill depth location, each sensor node also incorporating a processing unit and a communications unit configured to transmit sensor observations to a processor node, wherein each of the sensors within the one or more nodes is pre-calibrated; the processor node is configured to integrate the sensor observations from multiple modalities to detect drill depth, the processor node comprising: a compression module configured to compress the sensor data provided by the one or more sensor nodes; a data analysis module configured to receive data from the compression module and to perform drill depth analysis of the data received from the compression module to create registered action; a location module configured to store gps coordinates from each registered action a database configured to store registered actions from the compression module and to store all drill data, gps coordinates, and location module; a strata and elevation detection module configured to compare predefined observations to current observations received from the drill data analysis to detect strata and elevation of a defined interest; a filter module configured to select data that is of sufficient interest from the detected actions to generate an alert, wherein the selected actions are based upon at least one filter property; and a communication module configured to automatically communicate the alert to a user and/or operator on one of a plurality of communication modalities selected in accordance with at least one context parameter of the user and/or operator and at least one context parameter of the drill depth, strata, and/or elevation wherein the user, and/or operator operates or automates an alert/context specification interface to select the at least one filter property, the at least one context parameter of the user and/or operator and the at least one context parameter of the drill depth.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication modalities comprise a pre-recorded voicemail or a SMS text message sent to a smartphone and a dynamically generated email is sent.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one filter property is types of strata.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one filter property is elevation.
 5. The system of claim 1, where in at least one sensor node of the one or more sensor nodes includes at least one pressure sensor that measures the pressure of a gas or liquid against a stainless steel or silicon diaphragm.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one sensor node of the one or more sensor nodes includes at least one flow sensor that measures flow-in and flow-out based on liquid or gas pressure.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one sensor node of the one or more sensor nodes includes at least one depth sensor that measures depth based on pressure and flow.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor node is coupled to the one or more sensor nodes via a wired or wireless network.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one context parameter of the user comprises a time of day, a location of the user, and a current task or job being performed by the user.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user can remotely view or listen to the real-time sensor observations or sensor observations that generated an alert.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor node is further configured to be controlled remotely via a web server interface.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor node further comprises an activity review interface configured to allow the user to view the current sensor observations, observations corresponding to the action that generated the alert, or a summary of recent drill depths, drill area, elevation, and/or strata on a control monitor or an Internet connected terminal.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one context parameter of the drill depth comprises various strata, elevation, and/or dill locations. 